Don't Freeze Without Me
by Aqua Feathers
Summary: Tahlia isn't a genius, doesn't have any significant skills of deduction, but she does have a knack for getting into trouble... But, is L really worth all the trouble and more importantly is she? Rated T for being tremendous! Actually just for language and other things... ;)
1. Masks

**I don't own Death Note or it's characters blah blah; New idea and I dunno where this is gonna go, we'll find out! Enjoy :***

"Good afternoon, welcome to Cafe Amelia. I go by Tahlia, can I take your order?"

"Great to see you again, madame. Will it be the usual for you today?"

"A date? Please sir, you're making me blush! Sorry, but I'm working a double tonight..."

It was the same thing, every single day. Go to work, go home, repeat. Tahlia ran a hand through her long, honey blonde hair as she leaned over the faded red railing of her apartment balcony. Taking a drag of the cigarette that hung between her fingers, she exhaled slowly, forming small smoke circles. A talent she had recently acquired from one of the girls at the cafe and something she was quite proud of.

Grey eyes scanning the road below, Tahlia saw the moms taking their children to school, the dog walkers, a quarrelsome old couple and her favorite: the corner bakery. If she had made one good decision in moving to Tokyo, it was renting the apartment across from the bakery.

"Good decision," she scoffed, "But, definitely not one of my defining moments."

Flicking her cigarette off the balcony, Tahlia walked back inside her cozy apartment and headed for the facedown picture on her nightstand. She picked it up and stared at the photo of a couple in love, who stared right back at her.

Actually, she only faced one pair of eyes, the ones belonging to the young man with dark brown hair. Smiling green eyes bore into her currently dull grey orbs as she looked at Tristan. Tahlia and Tristan, they were T squared, the T Team. Over, they were over and now here she was, stuck in Tokyo.

Well no, that wasn't fully correct either. She _chose _to stay in the overpopulated city. _Chose_ to not let the breakup, break her. She spoke the language fluently (thank you online classes), even if her accent was _eh_.

Tossing the picture on her duvet, Tahlia began to rummage around her closet for an outfit. Green skinnies, brown knee length boots and a white tank were what she deemed acceptable for the day. Grabbing a few yen, she locked up her sanctuary and made her daily trek to the bakery.

"_Motherfucker_." So it was going to be one of _those_ days.

Tahlia looked down at her now stained tank. A chubby teen girl stared up at Tahlia as she stammered a frightened apology.

"I-I'm sorry, it was an accident I swear," the chunker sputtered.

A chocolate sundae, of all things, nestled deeper into Tahlia's shirt, the stain somehow spreading larger on her shirt. An understanding smile forced it's way on Tahlia's lips as she dabbed at the stain with a napkin.

"Accidents happen," she said in a soft, but controlled voice, "Just be careful next time."

The girl obviously had enough problems. Besides being on the "healthy" side, she boasted a recent breakout and frizzy hair. Tahlia would bestow her wrath on someone more deserving. Perhaps it could be on the group of giggling high school girls at the back of the line, who watched the fiasco go down.

Or it could be on the black haired figure that was perched at the table in the far corner of the bakery. _Her_ table. Yes, today was definitely going to be one of those days. Ordering her usual black coffee and yogurt, she thought about her plan of attack. Was she supposed to let this intruder simply get away with stealing her spot, the same spot she laid claim to the past two months _or_ would she release the beast?

Hearing a throat being cleared behind her, she turned to see her order was up. Tahlia flashed a sweet smile at the employee and tuned to look back at her table and it's inhabitant.

Remembering the cold ice cream still soaking through her shirt, Tahlia let a venomous smile spread across her lips.

Beast it is.

"Hi, you must be new here. Seeing that you are, I'll let you slide today, but for future reference this is _my_ table," Tahlia said in a sweet tone as she slipped into the seat opposite from the man.

Two black orbs bore into her. The pale face made no attempt to show any reaction he had to the girl's statement.

"You have ice cream on your shirt."

Tahlia stared dumbly at the crouched man, maybe he was...special? She felt an instant flush of guilt as the possibility ran through her mind, but that was quickly replaced with indignation when she heard his next words.

"Also, it would appear that this is not in fact your table. Seeing as you don't own the store, you cannot possibly own the property residing within it. I am a paying customer and have as much right to this table as you do. I find it quiet soothing actually, secluded as it is."

Tahlia felt a small growl begin to grow in her throat, "It's my _usual_ table, okay?"

"Things change," he stated simply, still staring into her, staring through her. Who the hell did this guy think he was?

"Listen pal, there aren't a lot of things we can control in life, but choosing your seat in a bakery is one of them."

"So it should hold the same for me, your argument had now fallen flat."

He blinked once and began to eat the cake in front of him. Tahlia sipped her coffee in return and held back a gag as she watched the raven haired man drop several cubes of sugar into his drink. He was right, her argument fell flat. Kudos to you strange man, now let's hear your story.

"Got a name?" she asked, sweet tone replaced with her currently bitter one. No point in putting on an act now, not like she cared what this guy thought about her

"I would suppose that most people do. If you must, you can refer to me as Ryuzaki," he replied in a bored tone, now stirring his sugary drink.

"Okay," she slurred as she put a cigarette to her lips, "Don't mind if I smoke do ya?"

He looked up when she blew a ring of smoke in his direction and made a slight grimace. _Bingo_. Finally some reaction out of this intruding stone person.

The ring of a phone interrupted Tahlia's focus as her next smoke ring turned into a stream of smoke. Grey eyes narrowing in annoyance she watched him take the phone out of his pocket using only two fingers. He held it to his ear as if it carried some incurable disease.

_What the hell,_ she thought.

"Yes?... Oh, well I will have to look into this... Yes, thank you Watari..."

Ryuzaki snapped the phone shut and stood up from his perch on the seat. His shoulders slumped forward as Tahlia gave him the once over. He seemed to be about the same height as her, maybe taller if he straightened up. He was a skinny guy, dressed in a baggy white long sleeve shirt and equally baggy blue jeans.

"Well I will be leaving _the_ table now. It was a pleasure Miss..." his monotone voice trailed off with a question.

"Tahlia," she winked with a smirk, happy to have her table back to herself, "Don't count on me being so sweet next time I see you encroaching on my territory."

She could have sworn a smirk played at the edges of his lips as he turned away from her, but it was probably just her imagination.

Some day off this was turning out to be.

Having the pleasure to meet the strange Ryuzaki and a sundae to the stomach, Tahlia let a small sigh leak out through her full lips. Nowhere for this day to go, but up right?

Tahlia found herself strolling through a park near her apartment after she went home for a quick wardrobe change. The sound of guitar strings and soft drums found it's way to her ears as she searched for the origin of the sound. Two men stood in the center of a large crowd, playing their instruments in an entrancing way.

The soft vibe of the instruments seeped through Tahlia as she found herself mesmerized by the music. Completely in sync, the drum played a steady beat as the guitar rifts traveled from a quick succession of notes to a slow and peaceful rhythm. She knew this song and was surprised, seeing as the tune was underground.

The guitar player looked up for a moment and caught the passion burning behind a pair of blazing grey eyes. He beckoned for Tahlia to join their session as he saw her mouth the words of the song no one was singing. Forgetting any sort of self consciousness, or how out of place she was, Tahlia found herself walking towards the instrumental duo.

"_With a little poison we can burn this whole place down, to the ground again"_

Tahlia lost herself in the song, her whispery soprano voice rising and dropping in accordance with the duo's notes. Music was her true passion and it was shining through her as she found herself falling deeper into the song.

It was magnificent, the person she became when singing. Every worry or doubt she had, floated out of her mind, like nothing matter, nothing existed except the music. Her soul shone and her heart could fly away with the melody. She hadn't realized the song had ended as she looked at the men standing next to her, their faces a mixture of amazement and wonder.

The applause rang in Tahlia's ears as she heard the crowd holler for an encore. She bowed before the crowd and then to the musicians as she made an exit from the spotlight. Music wasn't something she sought to be praised for, it was something she did simply for the sake of doing.

Exiting the park in a state of bliss, Tahlia was surprised to see the sun had already begun to set. _How long was I wandering around for_. She quickened her pace, it wasn't that she was scared or anything, but there was this Kira guy that people were talking about.

Now that guy was something she didn't understand, a killer killing all the bad guys? Wasn't that a bit redundant? Whatever, he was obviously just as bad as the criminals he killed and even if crime was decreasing, slime balls would always be crawling the streets at night. Kira or no Kira.

Tahlia locked her apartment door and slid down it's wooden frame to the floor. She looked around her studio apartment, decorated with pieces of art she bought from local shops and littered with colour.

Her attempt to bring individuality to the studio apartment had ended up in a battle of hues. The walls suffered her indecisive wrath, covered with specks and splatters of blues, purples, greens and oranges.

All of a sudden her cozy home felt cold and lonely. Sure Tahlia spoke to friends back home in America over the internet from time to time, but she had yet to form a friendship in Japan. Hell, that weirdo from the bakery today was the closest thing she had to a friend. And she had only yelled at him. It was that bad.

Picking herself off the ground she stole a glance out the window. The moon was shaped as a crescent, her favorite. Tahlia took that as a good omen as she sank into her bed and into a light sleep.

_Work. Damnit._

Tahlia woke up early to go to her beloved bakery so that she wouldn't be late for work today. Ten hour shift at the cafe? She was paying rent all by herself now, which meant a bigger workload was necessary.

As she strode into the bakery, Tahlia peered over to her table. Empty, perfect. Her day was already starting on a good note! Pulling her back down to Earth, the familiar throat-clearing of an employee reminded her of where she was. Black coffee and yogurt made it's way into Tahlia's slender hands as she once again turned towards her table.

Settling into her secluded table Tahlia dropped her wallet and found herself bending down to search for it.

"Where the fu-," was all she got out when the chair across from her suddenly moved. Hearing the screech of chair against linoleum caused Tahlia to bounce up and hit her head off the table.

"Ow..."

"Good morning Tahlia," Ryuzaki said as he dropped sugar cubes into his coffee. His eyes didn't move from their position as the frazzled girl rubbed her head in annoyance.

"Well it was good until you showed up," she spat. _Wait, no you need to make friends Tahlia. Making friends means beings nice,_ she thought, _put on a smile and suck it up. Raccoon boy is the only thing you've got right now._

"Now it's great!" she attempted in a cheerful tone, one hand still rubbing the sore spot on her head. No doubt a lump was already forming. The strange man looked up from him coffee as he watched the girl struggle to keep a smile on her face.

"Oh," was all he said to her.

"Listen, how about we start over, I feel like we got off a little rocky yesterday, eh? Well here we go. Hi! I'm Tahlia and we're sharing a table so we should be cordial since you keep sitting here..." she trailed off. _Keep smiling, keep smiling, just keep smiling._

"You've already made it quite clear that you have a certain amount of uncalled for animosity towards me for sitting at this table. I don't feel it necessary for you to force yourself to be overly friendly with me. I already know your name and you mine," he stated in a slow, bored tone.

Well that wiped the smile off of her face.

"Alright fine, whatever. Listen, obviously we're going to see each other a lot if you continue coming to this bakery and sitting at my table," she began.

"_The_ table," he corrected her.

"It's my table damnit," she continued,"Ugh. All I'm saying is this could be nice for the both of us. We could be breakfast buddies or friends or something..."

Now she felt like a loser. Ryuzaki stared at Tahlia with his empty black eyes, only they weren't empty. A flicker of emotion moved past them, only for a second, but it was there. Curiosity, maybe. Curiosity, confusion and wonder. A mix of all three?

"You want to be 'breakfast buddies' with me," he questioned the golden haired girl sitting across from him.

Tahlia fidgeted in her seat as she spoke, "Uh, well yeah...I don't have any friends here and...Well fine whatever! Think I'm stupid, just don't speak to me then if you're going to keep sitting here. I'm fine alone."

The black haired man looked at the girl with pure interest. _Friends_, he thought, _this girl wants to be friends...with me?_

"I suppose," he murmured around the bite of cheesecake he was eating.

"You suppose what, cause if it's not talking then you may as well just shut up now," she said as she felt her cheeks heating up. _I'm so stupid of course he doesn't want to talk to me, look how I'm acting,_ she thought. _"Breakfast buddies" is that a joke, what the hell, that's making it to the top five embarrassing things I've come up with..._

"I suppose we can be friends," he stated as he watched Tahlia's eyes widen in surprise and saw a small smile make it's way onto her thin lips.

"Oh." Dumbstruck. She was dumbstruck. He wanted to be friends, with her, the angry blonde? Heart drumming away in her chest, she stuck out her hand to the crouched man before her.

"Friends," she said in a soft tone, grey eyes shining.

"Yes..." he said as he awkwardly enveloped her thin hand in a firm embrace.

"Ryuzaki," Tahlia said with the biggest grin that had graced her lovely features since her move to Japan, "I think we'll get along just fine."

**Hey everyone! Comments/reviews are always welcomed! The lyric in this chapter was ****_Romance is... by the amazing Lights!_**** I can't really picture where I'm going with ****_Flicker_****.. right now so this is just a little side story I wanted to start! Hope everyone liked it, stay gorgeous xo ;)**


	2. Thief

L walked out of the bakery without another word to his new "friend". The girl was curious, she would so readily open herself up to a friendship with a stranger? Naïve, stupid even.

She was a stupid girl he would never see again because he would not be returning to the bakery. Even if he did want to show her that he could sit at _the_ table, no matter her thoughts, he would not be returning. No need for his face to be shown more than necessary.

Yes, the stupid girl and "her" table would be free of the black haired detective. That stupid girl had...that stupid girl...

"Is something the matter, sir," Watari questioned his surprised companion.

L felt a small smirk tug on the edge of his lips, "That stupid girl stole my money."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Thunderstorms never felt threatening or foreboding to the girl before, they always held more of a cleansing and peaceful quality to her. If the rain could crash on the Earth and clean away the dirt, then maybe it could wash away her own impurities.

No one's perfect and it's only human nature to mess up sometimes, sometimes of course meaning all the time. A flash of lightening filled the sky as Tahlia ran towards the bakery. The deep rumble of thunder that followed sent a shiver down her spine and torrents of rain assaulted the girl, soaking through the top layer of her shirt.

"Manny's going to _murder_ me!"

As she pounded through another puddle, she misjudged it's depth and felt herself slip forward. Her cheek met the pavement like old friends: hard and long. Great, having a bruised face was the _last_ thing she needed!

"Ow, damn shoes," she cried. The fall hadn't broken skin, but she could already feel the bruise making it's way across her face.

"_Get up_," a voice growled above the girl. Jumping up to see where the voice had come from, there was no one besides her on the street. It was still quite early, only around 4 a.m., but she heard _something_. Another crack of lightning sent the frazzled girl running towards her destination without a second glance.

_What the shit?_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Stepping past the door into the small cafe, the smell of fresh bread greeted Tahlia in her damp state. A robust, middle aged man stepped out from the kitchen door and shook his head at the girl before him.

"This is the third time you're late this month, _chiquita. _If you can't handle opening, I'll give it to one of the other girls," the man said in his Spanish accent, "¿_Qué paso?"_

"I'm sorry Manny! It's the last time, I swear. I can handle it, the rain just threw me off this morning," Tahlia blushed hard from her embarrassment and the slight pain in her cheek. She _needed_ to be able to open in the morning, it meant more hours. More hours meant more money, and she could use as much as she could get.

Tahlia tugged her long tresses into a high bun, hoping it would dry soon. Goosebumps ran the extent of two pale arms as the heat of the kitchen began to dry her clothes. Tying a light blue smock around her slim waist,Tahlia gingerly touched the bruise making a home on her cheek. It stung, but she had more important things to attend to, like the bread that needed to be pulled out of the oven.

Where had that voice come from though? It couldn't just have come from thin air, right? Maybe she better carry that pepper spray that Manny had given her tomorrow, you never know what kind of creepy people there are in this world.

Creepy people, like the guy she pick pocketed the other day. Of course that weirdo didn't notice when she slipped her hand into his pocket after she ducked under the table. The money was practically hanging out of his pocket from the way he was sitting.

He probably thought it fell out. Honestly, if he ever saw her again she could play dumb, he was probably losing money all the time. In fact, he was begging for her to take it with his negligence. Tahlia sat in a cloud of her thoughts until the faint smell of burning dough made it's way to her nose.

"_Shiiiiiiiiit!"_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Well, my stations cleaned up and the last cake needs to be pulled out around three. See you tomorrow," Tahlia said in a cheerful tone, her day was finally over. Time for some food and a good long nap.

Hanging up her apron, her previously drenched shirt encased her body in warmth as it settled around her slim curves.

"_Ten cuidado, belleza_," the jolly man said. His warm brown eyes smiled at her as she walked past him, "And get that cheek taken care of!"

"Sure thing boss," she chuckled, the pain in her face hadn't fazed her at all, but she was quickly reminded of it by his words. Ah, so much for out of sight out of mind.

The rain had stopped outside, but the dark clouds lingered over the bustling city. The thunder never scared her, but something was different today. Her mind kept flashing back to the voice she heard this morning. Man, she was just getting goosebumps thinking about it! She absentmindedly rubbed her hands up and down her shoulders to ward them off.

"Tallie! Hey Tahlia, over here!"

Said girl looked for where the voice was coming from and spotted a familiar blonde haired girl. The petite model made her way through the crowd, earning a few dirty looks.

"Misa," she happily called back. Docked in a black corset and matching leather skirt, she looked like the embodiment of gothic lolita.

"I've missed you so much, Tallie," Misa hopped up and down as she embraced her friend, who was a few inches taller than her.

"Same here, it's been way too long! Where have you been," said girl questioned her with a slight pout, "You said you would visit me at the cafe, Misa."

Misa looked down, "Misa's really sorry, you know I can't eat cakes. I'll get fat! And I've been busy because I have a boyfriend now!"

"Oh, how cute. Can I meet him," Tahlia asked the girl with fake enthusiasm.

"Well he's always doing stuff with school or work, so he doesn't have much time to spend with Misa..." she trailed off with a small frown, "But it's okay! Once he catches Kira then we can have all the time we want!"

Tahlia's eyes almost popped out of her head, the light orbs widening incredulously at what she had just heard, "What did you just say...?"

"Oopsie, don't tell anyone okay, Tallie? It's supposed to be a secret, but you're the best at keeping secrets! I can't stand to wait around with Light and Ryuzaki anymore, they're so boring! Ew, what happened to your face?"

How could she be so nonchalant about this, her boyfriend was helping to catch Kira? That and the fact that her and Misa were hardly friends and she was telling her this information, what a ditz.

Wait, _Ryuzaki... _Why did that name sound so familiar?

"Yeah Misa, I won't tell anyone, you can trust me," she told the giggling girl, ignoring her comment about the bruise. Tahlia pulled her hair down and tugged to separate the few knots.

"So how about some lunch?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Ryuzaki, it seems that on Misa's excursion today she was able to leak information," the computer spoke.

_Misa..._

Of course she had leaked information. She would never go against Light's wishes, so who was this person she so eagerly spoke to? Perhaps an accomplice? Anything was possible in the investigation and with two Kiras, L didn't feel like taking any chances.

"Very well, Watari," the detective said around a bite of cake, "It seems we may be having a new addition to headquarters very soon."

**Hiiiiiiiiiii! I love reviews so much please leave me some and special shout out to Boo121 for the lone review on chapter one! xxx**


	3. Fat ass!

**WOW! This story is getting a lot more attention than I originally thought it would, I wasn't even sure if I was going to continue it, but now I know I definitely will! All the favorites/follows/reviews are so appreciated you all have no idea how exciting it is for me to check my email and see all the notifications, it makes me so happy so thank you guys! Here's chapter three because honestly you all deserve it! :) **

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Stepping out of the shower, Tahlia's mossy eyes looked over herself in the mirror. Her long, black hair fell in smooth waves to her waist, a sharp contrast from her porcelain skin. Light freckles sprayed across her nose, marring with the dark purple bruise that was now fully spread across her cheek. She ran a hand through the wet tendrils coating her shoulders, their black color still a strange thing to see. There was no point in taking any chances, so she figured dying her blonde locks black was not only a better way to fit in, but a better way to not be recognized if she was caught by her former victims.

Running into Misa today had been...interesting. It was strange how her and Misa were able to even become friends, 'friends' being used in the loosest term. They hardly knew each other, Tahlia wouldn't consider her a friend, but she wouldn't tell the vivacious blonde that. Perky as she might be, that blonde had a temper. Then again, maybe that's why Tahlia gave her the time of day, for she too could get pretty heated.

But, they were opposites in almost every way. Their appearances could show enough of that, including the fact that Tahlia nearly towered over the petite girl. It showed in their attitudes as well, Misa being overtly bubbly as Tahlia was often lost in her own world. She too could often let her emotions get the best of her, but wasn't as gullible as her blonde companion.

Oh no, Misa would never know of her criminal history. _Criminal,_ ha! She was hardly a criminal, I mean, unless pickpocketing was considered hardcore now.

Pulling on a pair of lacy blue underwear and a loose yellow tee, Tahlia walked out of her tiny bathroom and headed towards her bed in a state of bliss. The day was finally over and now all she wanted to do was spend some quality time with her cable box.

She moseyed over to her balcony deciding to have a smoke before bed. There was a movement on the street she caught out of the corner of her eye. Her afternoon lunch with Misa had unfortunately turned into a day long event, so it was pretty late by now. In fact, the only reason she noticed the figure standing behind the telephone pole near the bakery was from the sheer lack of anything else moving on the street.

Tahlia took a long drag off of her cigarette, "Well, well, well. Aren't things getting interesting around here," she said and flicked the cigarette butt off the edge of her balcony, unsatisfied at how quickly she finished it and turned around to her empty apartment.

The problem was that her empty apartment was anything but empty.

"AH!" Tahlia shrieked as she saw the intruders entering her room. The men were tall, one younger and one older, and had some sort of badge hanging from their belts. Upon hearing her scream both men looked a bit flustered as they took in her appearance.

The older one recovered quickly, "Miss Tahlia, you need to come with us."

She blanched at his statement, but tried to gather what was happening, "Who the _fuck_ are you two?"

"We're from the Task For-" the younger cop began.

"Shh, you idiot," the older one yelled as he slap him in the head.

_Oh shit, oh shit shitty shit shitballs!_ This had to have something to do with the person she saw outside, they had decided to make their move so soon? She didn't have time to think about who she happened to piss off for this to happen, but instead came up with a plan.

"Okay, okay I'll come with you, but can I at least change," she asked with pleading eyes.

Both men flushed a bright red and quickly exited the room, but not before the older man said, "You have five minutes."

Five minutes was more than enough. As soon as they left the room, Tahlia slipped into a pair of skinnies and boots. She opened her bedroom window as silently as possible and thanked the heavens that it wasn't too cold outside because her jacket was in the living room.

As Tahlia shimmied down the fire escape stairs, she looked into the windows of the other people in her building. It was around seven, which meant most people would be home already. Only one unit was completely dark, so she tested the window and it opened with a little effort.

"Matsuda you idiot!"

"How is this my fault? Oh man, Ryuzaki's going to kill us," she heard the men yell from her apartment window.

Of course she wouldn't go running in the street, they obviously had some sort of transportation with them and there could be a driver to spot her. No, she would hide in this apartment for at least an hour or two and then head back. Now to figure out who she had pissed off...

Ryuzaki...?

"That was the name Misa said the other day," Tahlia thought out loud as realization struck her like a ton of bricks, "Aw fuck." Of course. Ryuzaki. Why hadn't she remembered the name before? He was the putz she pickpocketed the other day.

"Looks like one of us has seriously underestimated the other. The guy has henchmen, who'd of thought," she whispered to herself.

"Well I wouldn't call them henchmen exactly..." a voice said from behind her.

Peering into the dark apartment, she could make out the faint outline of a figure. Male, about the same height as her. It was him, he had come back to exact revenge on her for his stolen wallet. Really though, it's not even like he had anything in there! Literally, if anything there was a couple hundred yen _at most_, and no form of identification.

"Breakfast buddy," she said cheerily to the darkness, "But it's not even breakfast time yet. Why the surprise visit?"

"Funny, I wasn't aware _buddies_ stole from each other," he said in a mocking tone, "I'm afraid you'll have to come with me."

"As if. Listen man, you can have the wallet back. I didn't even spend your cash-ola, let's just let bygones be bygones, eh?"

"This isn't merely from your petty theft, Tahlia. It seems you're connected with one of my suspects, making you equally as suspicious. I suspect you to be an accomplice to Kira," he stated mildly, inching closer to the confused girl.

"Kira," she gasped, "Yeah real strong theory you got there genius. Why would I be helping Kira if I just stole your wallet, you idiot. I'm not going ANYWHERE with you!"

"So be it," suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder and another restraining her wrists, "Then I will have to take you by force."

Tahlia shivered as the voice spoke into her ear, the grip on her hands was tight, but she could handle it. Going limp, her captor's hold loosened for a moment, but that was enough. He was skinny, of course going limp would pull him down right along with her. Pulling one hand free, she twisted her body and landed a knee to his chest, knocking out his breath and releasing her from his grasp.

"Capoeira," he said with a smirk in his voice. Tahlia was surprised he identified her technique so quickly, it meant he knew the moves as well, so she had to be extra careful now. Seeing a limb flying towards her stomach, she maneuvered out of the way and landed an elbow to her assailant's shoulder.

"Pressure point," she said smoothly, "Had enough yet, sweet boy?"

"A bit over-confident," he growled as the sting registered in his shoulder. Seizing her wrist he flipped the girl hard onto her back. And just like that, Tahlia was pinned down by the skeleton of a man.

Tahlia felt all the air leave her lungs as her back slammed into the ground, sending her into a fit of small gasps. He had captured her wrists above her head and was using his own weight to pin down her lower torso. The awkward straddling and her constant kicking made Tahlia's cheeks flush a deep red. Thank goodness it was dark, her blush could only make things all the more uncomfortable.

"Ow," she faintly groaned, damn her thin frame for betraying her. If she had more muscle she could surely push this guy off of her.

"You know the moves well," he said slightly impressed, his face mere inches from hers "But I know them better."

"Like I said before, it seems like one of us has _seriously_ underestimated the other." As the words left her mouth, Tahlia closed the gap between them and pressed her lips firmly against his. He tasted sweet, like the bakery goods she was so used to making in the morning, it was...yummy.

L immediately released the girl's hands and pulled back his face out of pure shock. She internally cheered a small _yes!_ Bringing her knee up once again to kick him off her, she flipped onto her stomach and army crawled away from his reach. Too late. Lunging towards her, L flattened her to the ground by laying firmly on top of her.

"Ugh," she groaned again, "For someone so skinny, you're awful heavy."

"Are you always this difficult," he asked her, letting out a sign of his own. It had been awhile since someone had actually been a challenge to him, let alone run him out of breath.

"Only for people like you," she mumbled into the carpet. She tasted fluff in her mouth and held back a gag. His weight was forcing her hips into the ground; it hurt so much she was sure there would be a bruise in the morning.

"Fatass," she muttered.

The lights clicked on in that moment and she could hear voices of other men, the brightness temporarily blinding her. Cold and heavy restraints clasped around her wrists as she struggled to blinked away the light.

"She was here the whole time," the young officer from before whined. The older officer looked at the girl with confusion as she felt herself being lifted off the ground and tossed over someone's shoulder. Ah, she could finally breath again as she spit out the fluff in her mouth. Thrashing around wouldn't help, unless she wanted to be dropped to the ground, so she stayed still preferring to save herself from any further bruising.

"If stealing my table didn't make me hate you before, bruising me up definitely will," she whispered into the white shirt her cheek was bumping into, making it throb in pain. Her hair hung in a mess around her face blocking her line of vision

"Your hair is black," he said in what sounded like a disappointed voice. So he was carrying her out, she was surprised he could actually balance her on those thin shoulders. It felt like she was leaning over too thin railing, it's sharpness sure to leave yet another bruise on her stomach.

She let out a loud sigh for the umpteenth time that night, not wanting to play any of his games, "IT WAS A FUCKING WALLET."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Well, there's chapter three, I hope you all enjoyed it! Shout out to Boo121 for being the _ONLY_ person to review again, thank you so much dear :)  
****I can only hope that more of you will give me some feedback or ideas on what you would like to read or what you liked/didn't like!**

**Poor L never saw that kiss coming. C'mon I couldn't resist myself, I REALLY LIKE FLUFF HOPE YOU'RE ALL READY FOR WHAT THIS STORY HAS IN STORE...heheheh. Welp, I have a few more chapters written and will try to get the next chapter up before xmas. I'll be in Disney World so it may be a little hard, but I'll do my best! Love you all xxxo**


	4. Tipping

**GUYSSSSSS. I. AM. ****SO****. SORRY.** **This is terribly late I know, but at least I finally got around to it? The holidays were crazy and life has been hectic. And boy troubles...wow boys. That's all I have to say about ****_them_****. Anyways this is short, but it's a update nonetheless ! I love you all so much and wish you all well, I'm up to six review weeeoooooooh! Enjoy :) xx**

Tahlia paced around the room she was left in, feeling more than exhausted. After she had been captured, she was tossed into the back of a car, blindfolded, and then dumped inside this room.

Of course her restraints weren't removed, but after running the metal under cold water for a few minutes and slamming them against the countertop, they easily broke apart. The room she was in was pretty spacious, probably some fancy hotel or another apartment complex. How no one noticed her being brought in was another story, maybe this was some sort of house.

The door was locked from the outside when she tried it, so she walked over to the window. The floor to ceiling mirror to the world gave her a full scale view of the Tokyo night sky. It was absolutely stunning. The height of the building cancelled out any brightness from the city, leaving only the starlight. She basked in the faint light, letting it clear her mind as she checked herself over for any open wounds.

"How did I get myself into this one? Who could I possibly be connected with to lead him to suspect..._Misa_," Tahlia sighed as she pressed both hands against the glass. Her breath fogged up the window as she released a long sign. Wow, this must be her new thing, it was actually starting to get annoying. That stupid Misa.

"I see the restraints worked well," L said, causing Tahlia's head to hit against the glass. Turning around to face her captor, the girl was met with a pair of large steel eyes. He was standing too close to her, only a few inches separating the two. Tahlia remembered her surprise kiss and felt a small blush creep against her pale skin, now was NOT the time to be getting flustered.

"So are you gonna tell me what's really going on, _L_," she quipped, her eyes smiling slightly at his surprised look, "Yeah, you should tell that young guy to keep his mouth shut. I heard everything on the way over.

"Your suspicion of being an accomplice has raised to 5%," he said without breaking his stare.

"If I was working with Kira, don't you think I would have killed you already," she pushed past him, trying to escape his owl-like gaze.

"Maybe you need a face and a name to kill. Obviously L is not my real name," he said still facing the spot she previously occupied. Tahlia let her eyes trail down his body, he couldn't have been older than herself, so how did he have so much influence over these people?

"Clearly," she growled, "So what is it you do exactly, you some kind of cop in training?" He looked amused at her question, turning around to face the girl full on.

"Who are you," she asked again, "I really don't wanna have to kick your ass again."

"If you had 'kicked my ass' then you wouldn't be here, now would you. I am L."

"Yeah, I heard that part already," she interrupted him, enjoying his annoyed look, "So what?"

He looked perplexed, so what? No one had ever had that reaction before. Did she not know who he was, or was she that ignorant?

"So what," he murmured, now being watched by a pair of unblinking green eyes that slowly lit up with realization.

"Oh," she said quietly, "I remember. You're the cocky guy leading the Kira investigation. Looks like things sure are getting quite interesting, now aren't they?"

"Quite interesting indeed," L said as he looked at the girl with pure curiosity.

_So interesting_.


End file.
